Guidance on seismic cluster definition and identification
This project investigated a statistical approach known as clustering to distinguish microseismic events induced by hydraulic fracturing.
Documents
Details
This project investigated a statistical approach known as clustering to distinguish microseismic events induced by hydraulic fracturing (fracking) from the background microseismic events that occur every day.
When fluid is injected into the ground in hydraulic fracturing, it inevitably causes small movements in rock strata. These seismic event are normally small, but can sometimes provide early warning of further problems, such as reactivation of geological faults or damage to the well. However, similar small rock movements also occur naturally, so better methods to distinguish problematic fracking-induced seismicity from natural microseismic events could allow earlier detection of problems caused by fracking. Ultimately, real time analysis of clustering of microseismic events could help to indicate the onset of fault reactivation and allow early intervention to prevent problems.